Harsh winter weather may have closed stores, disrupted shipments and postponed installations for many flooring retailers, but it was not enough to prevent dealers from posting mostly positive returns through the first six weeks of 2026.
After some fits and starts to begin January, the consensus among the dozen dealers contacted by FCNews is that business in 2026 is headed in the right direction so far. Weather was an issue, at least initially, for Sackett’s Flooring Solutions in Kalamazoo, Mich., with unrelenting January snows blamed for delaying several installs. However, with the help of some larger projects that were approved in late 2025, business has recovered nicely. “I was just talking to our project management team this week that we have been busier with walk-in traffic this time of year than we have been in previous years,” said Ryan Boender, owner and general manager. “I am optimistic based on the amount of traffic and bid requests that we will pass our delivered sales year to date in the next couple months vs 2025.”
However, the year didn’t start off so rosy for dealers like Yates Flooring & Design, Lubbock, Texas, which experienced one of its slowest starts in several years, with overall sales down approximately 17%. A major ice storm was the culprit, significantly impacting operations, according to Ryan Rogers, CEO. “All three of our Texas locations were closed for more than three days, and our area is simply not equipped to handle that type of weather event. I believe this disruption played a major role in the slow start to the year. That said, February has started off much stronger. We are seeing a noticeable increase in foot traffic, although the sales numbers have not fully caught up yet. I expect to have a clearer picture by the end of this month and into March.”…